Fitchburg to buy streetlights from Unitil, turn most back on

FITCHBURG 
After years of negotiations, the city has reached an agreement to purchase streetlights in the city from Unitil.

The measure will reduce costs enough, officials say, to turn back on most of the lights that were turned off to save money shortly after Mayor Lisa A. Wong took office four years ago.

Ms. Wong said Unitil overestimated the value of the lights and has been negotiating with the company since.

The city and Unitil, a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, have a purchase and sale agreement to transfer ownership of about 3,100 outdoor street lights for $300,000, according to a press release from the company.

The sale is subject to approval by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, it said. The contract was filed with the DPU today.

“We are very pleased we have been able to reach an agreement with the city regarding the purchase of the streetlights,” said Unitil controller Larry Brock. “We are hopeful for an expedited approval by the DPU of this special contract to complete the transfer of ownership and maintenance of the streetlights to the city as soon as possible.”

The purchase includes all of the city lights within Fitchburg owned by Unitil. As part of the agreement, Unitil will turn on approximately 700 streetlights identified by the city that are currently off. The turn-ons are expected to be completed within 120 days of the closing of the sale.

“The city is eager to begin saving money on streetlight operations so that more lights can be turned on this year,” Ms. Wong said. “The negotiation process has taken several years, but the final deal to increase streetlights on and save money at the same time is a win-win for Fitchburg.”